Chris Masterson‘s character isn’t the middle child on Malcolm in the Middle, but the actor can personally relate to the dynamics on the show.
“I’m a middle child, so I very much have that, ‘Oh, my God, I want everyone to get along’ energy,” Masterson, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Tuesday, April 7, red carpet premiere for Malcolm in the Middle. “And also that reality of like, ‘Are you guys having fun too?’”
He continued: “I don’t really like to be the one saying, ‘We’re all gonna do this right now.’ Because I’m always just thinking ‘Are they enjoying this?’”
Off screen, Chris is the middle child between older brother Danny Masterson and younger siblings Alanna Masterson and Jordan Masterson. Chris had a different experience on the set of Malcolm in the Middle, which ran from 2000 to 2006, where he played the eldest child in the family.
Chris got to reprise the role in the four-part revival, which is out Friday, April 10. Before the premiere, Chris reflected on the chances of him returning for more in the event that Hulu ordered future episodes — or maybe even a spinoff.
“Depending on what the material was, I’d be interested in anything in the Malcolm universe. Essentially more episodes or a spinoff or a movie — as long as it was good,” he told Us. “But this is creator Linwood Boomer’s life when he was a kid. Now what you’re seeing is essentially his life as an adult. If he has more of that upstairs that he wants to share, then we may all go back for that. If he doesn’t, then maybe this will be the last time you and I ever talk.”
Outside of Malcolm in the Middle, Chris isn’t limiting himself when it comes to future roles, adding, “They don’t have to be comedy. Sometimes the most fun is a really hard play where you’re playing multiple dialects or multiple time frames or something that could be really fun.”
Malcolm in the Middle’s plucky attitude made it one of the most iconic TV shows of the early 2000s — and fans are still trying to keep up with the cast. The comedy, which was a faux memoir of middle child Malcolm Wilkerson (Frankie Muniz), detailed the Wilkerson family’s low-income, dysfunctional life and all the […]
He continued: “My favorite things to watch, though, are comedy. Probably my dream job, it would be like a multicamera sitcom, which I’ve never done. I think that job would be pretty sweet and kind of like doing a play every week.”
Chris also has a wish list of dream collaborators.
“I do not expect to be working with these people. But I think everyone in the world would be most excited to work with Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep,” he told Us. “But I also really, really love the entire cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I just think those guys are so, so funny — and their brand of humor is right up my alley. They were making a thing that would probably be what I do and marrying two concepts. If those guys were making a multicamera sitcom, that would be just like, ‘Oh, my God.’”
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair premieres Friday, April 10, on Hulu.
